Pump



P. ARANT Nov. 3, 1953 PUMP y Original Filed Aug.l 28, 1943 2Sheets-Sheet l ,g :im

gg MUNI Ilm INVENTOR ATTORNEYS P. ARANT NQV. 3, 1953 PUMP 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Original Filed Aug. 28, 1945 INVENTOR BY M/y im ATTORNEYS PatentedNov. 3, 1953 Perry Arant, El Monte. Calif-v, .assigner to GlartonManufacturing Compa-ny, El Monte, Salif., a. corporation of CaliforniaQriginal application August 28, 194.3, Serial No, 500,413. Divided andthis application May .194?. Serial No. 746,189

L2 Claims. (Cl. '10B-2030 The present invention relates t9 a feed waterpump particularly adapted for luse in a steam generating system, wherebya maximum f emciency in operation can be attained.

This application `is a division of my application Serial No. 500,413,filed August 28, 1943, now Patent No. 2,574,368, dated November 6, 1951,and entitled Steam Genera-ting Apparatus."

The principal object of the invention is to provide a feed water pumpCapable of handling heated liquid at vapor-forming ytemperatures withoutbecoming VapQr-'locld Another object of the invention is to provide heatexchange means for condensing any steam that may be present in theintake manifold of a `feed water pump to prevent vapor-looking 0f saidfeed water pump.

An important feature of the invention is the use .of a centrifugal pump,in connection with a feed water pump, serving in the dual capacity of amake-up water .pump and a circulating pump for the heat exchange meansassociated with the intake manifold of the feed water pump to preventyvapor-locking of said feed water pump.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

. Fig. 1 is an enlarged view, partly in elevation and partly invsection, illustrating the check valve arrangement associated with theintake chamber or manifold on the inlet side of the feed water pump;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the intake manifold, particularlyshowing the arrangement of the heat exchange tube for condensing anyvapor that may be present in the intake manifold to thereby preventvapor-locking of the feed water pump;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

The feed pump includes an intake feed manifold I5 and an outlet feedmanifold I6 interconnected by identical housings I1 containing inletcheck valves I8 and I9 (see Fig. l), which housings will be described ingreater detail hereinafter. The intake feed manifold I5 is connected bya pipe line 20 with a source of hot feed water.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 4, the check valve housings I'I areidentical in construction and a description of one willY therefore suicefor both. The housing I1 has an inlet opening 4I (Fig. 4) which iscounterbored as indicated at 42 to receive '2 .a bushing 43, The intakefeed -manifoid I5 has an Outlet opening 44 which is counterbored at 415to receive the bushing 43. The bushing 43 thus servos to align thehousing I1 with the intake ',manifold I5. A stud 46 is threaded 'intothe hous- .and projects through an opening rI'I in the manifold l5. Acap n ut 48 is mounted vupon the Aouter ond of the stud 46 and securesthe housing and manifold together Vin assembled relation. .Suitablesealing `means 49 is interposed vbetween the confronting faces of thehousing I1 and manifold 1'5 to avoid ,leakage and a suitable gasket 50is disposed between the cap nut 4B and the Ymemfold l5.

The opening 4I in the housing 11 communiyCates with a passageway 5l(Fig. 1) 4controlled 'by the check valve I8 previously referred to. Thecheck valve I8 is normally urged toward its seat 52 by a conical .spring53. The housing Il is further provided with a chamber 54 and the .checkvalve I controls the now 4of liquid from for venting air from thechamber 54 when the pum-p means is first started.

The housing .I1 is still ,further provided with opening 5.5a (Fig. l)adapted to communicate with the chamber 54 when the check valve .I9 israised from its seat 56. A spring 5l normally tends to maintain thecheck valve I9 closed. A removable plug 58 is disposed in an opening 59directly above the check valve I9. As will be apparent from Fig. 3, theopening =L communicates with the outlet feed manifold I6 and saidmanifold is aligned with the housing I'I by a bushing 60 similar to thebushing 43. A stud 6I is threaded into the housing I'I and a cap nut 62on the outer end of the stud secures the manifold I6 to the housing II.Suitable sealing means 63 is disposed between the confronting faces ofthe housing I1 and the manifold I6 and a suitable gasket 64 is disposedbetween the manifold I6 and the cap nut 62. One end of the outlet feedmanifold I 6 is closed by a plug 65 and its opposite end is connected toa pipe 66.

A standpipe 6'I (Fig. l) is threaded into an opening 68 in the housingI'I and communicates at its upper end directly with the chamber 54.Normally, the standpipe 61 is filled with water and provides a watercolumn through which pulsations from a pump means are transmitted to anyliquid" contained in the chamber 54, as described in application No.500,413, The pump the passageway 5I, the check valve I8 opening inresponse to the pressure of such liquid to admit the same into thechamber 54 between pulsations in the standpipe G1 and fill said chamber.

Hence, upon the next pulsation imparted to the liquid column in thestandpipe 6l, a certain amount of the water will be displaced from thechamber 5d and forced past the check valve I9 into the opening 55a fromwhence it will flow into y the outlet feed manifold I6 and into the pipe56.

Due to the steam vapor accompanying the water delivered through the pipeto the intake feed manifold I 5, or to the ashing of the heated liquidas the result of a reduction of pressure, it is possible for some vaporto occasionally enter or to form in the intake feed manifold i5 andcause a vapor-lock at the inlet check valves I9. Ordinarily, the feedpump would remain vaporlocked only until the steam condensed, but suchdelay is undesirable and could prove detrimental to the operation of thesteam generating apparatus because the interruption of a continuous flowof water to the heating coil would result in overheating and possibleburning out of said coil. By circulating cooling water from the feedwater tank through the heat exchange tube Si (by means of thecentrifugal pump) any steam vapor introduced into or formed in theintake feed manifold I5 is immediately condensed and vapor-locking ofthe feed pump is totally avoided. Incidentally, the heat absorbed by theliquid pumped through the heat exchange tube t7 is not lost because saidliquid is returned to the feed water tank. Even a slight pressure dropin the intake feed manifold l will permit some of this liquid to flashinto steam. On the other hand, the water which is passed through theheat exchange tube 31 is taken from the feed water tank which containswater at a relatively low temperature of about 175, and this temperatureis su-flicient to condense any vapor in the manifold l5. As has beenpointed out before, the discharge end of the heat exchange tube 3l' isconnected with 4 the feed water tank by the conduit 39 so that thecentrifugal pump in effect circulates the feed water through the heatexchange tube 31.

I claim:

1. In a pump for pumping heated liquid at vapor-forming temperatures: anelongated, substantially cylindrical intake manifold, said manifoldhaving a lateral inlet, and at least one lateral outlet spaced asubstantial distance from said inlet; a housing having a pump inletcheck valve communicating with said manifold outlet; means securing saidintake manifold to said housing; and a heat exchange tube extendinglongitudinally through said substantially cylindrical intake manifoldand through the ends thereof, and means for pumping liquid through saidmanifold and housing.

2. In a pump for pumping heated liquid at vapor-forming temperatures: anintake manifold having an elongated intake chamber, said chamber havingan inlet adjacent one end thereof and an outlet opening spaced asubstantial distance from said inlet; a housing having a pump inletcheck valve communicating with said manifold outlet opening; a studextending through said manifold outlet and securing said manifold tosaid housing said stud being smaller than said outlet opening; andcooling means in said intake chamber for condensing any vapors that maybe present in said intake chamber to thereby prevent vapor-locking ofsaid pump inlet check valve, and means for pumping liquid through saidmanifold and housing.

PERRY ARANT.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 879,560 Lepley Feb. 18, 1908 1,707,307 Holdsworth Apr. 2, 19291,812,590 Grace June 30, 1931 1,979,476 Labaw Nov. 6, 1934 2,054,710Okada Sept. 15, 1936 2,300,332 Avigdor Oct. 27, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 12,183 France July 26, 1910 255,425 Great BritainMar. 31, 1927

